Patients with ASD suffer from a neurological developmental disorder; these patients exhibit difficulties in communication, repetition of phrases (echolalia), and repetitive movements (stereotypies). Not all patients exhibit the same symptoms in the same way, which is why the term “autism spectrum” is used rather than “autism.”
Many people with ASD have a special sensitivity to music and an ability to distinguish a wider range of tones than the non-ASD population (Remington A, Fairnie J: A sound advantage: Increased auditory capacity in autism. Cognition 2017, 166:459-465). Patients with ASD generally have different sensory experiences, with musical perception occupying a prominent place among their multiple abilities (Heaton P: Assessing musical skills in autistic children who are not savants. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences 2009, 364(1522):1443-1447).
Most patients have a great melodic memory, which allows them to remember entire melodies with great ease. Absolute pitch is more common among patients with ASD. These abilities underlie a greater capacity for perception, meaning that patients with ASD can process much more information at once (Remington A, Fairnie J: A sound advantage: Increased auditory capacity in autism. Cognition 2017, 166:459-465).
